The Los Angeles Clippers did very well for themselves prior to the trade deadline, as they got exceptional returns for James Harden and Ivica Zubac after being backed into a corner. Clippers fans, however, will have to wait a bit before Darius Garland, the man they got in exchange for Harden in a trade with the Cleveland Cavaliers, makes his debut for the team as he continues to recover from the toe injury that's affected him for the greater part of the past eight months.
Garland is a two-time All-Star who's in the middle of his prime, giving the Clippers a young-ish piece to build the team around. He's only 26 years of age, and he's a dynamic floor general who can shoot from everywhere on the court, and once he's healthy, he should help keep LA afloat as they look to fork over as bad of a pick as they can to the Oklahoma City Thunder.
“I'm super excited, really. … I just wanna make [Kawhi Leonard's] life a little bit easier, trying to give him some open shots. Try to get everybody some open shots, really. Try to push the pace a little bit and try to win some games as much as we can,” Garland said in an interview with Lauren Rosen of FanDuel Sports Network.
“[I'm] somebody that's just trying to win basketball games, trying to have fun with it.”
"Somebody that's just trying to win basketball games, trying to have fun with it" – Darius Garland on what he's gonna bring to the squad 🎙️ pic.twitter.com/CJOAtSmGZM
— LA Clippers (@LAClippers) February 11, 2026
Darius Garland should have chip on his shoulder after Clippers trade
Garland has to be very excited about the opportunity in front of him with the Clippers. He was being scapegoated for the Cavs' playoff failures, and he now at least will be getting a fresh start in LA.
The 26-year-old floor general will have the keys to the Clippers' offense, and he won't be sharing the backcourt with another high-usage player like Donovan Mitchell. And to top it all off, he'll be playing with a chip on his shoulder as the Cavs thought Harden was an upgrade over him.
